Rick Taylor and Todd Stephens on Comment Please by Univest

State Rep.Rick Taylor and his Republican challenger Todd Stephens appeared on one of my favorite radio show, WNPV's Comment Please by Univest,on Oct. 17th. Darryl Berger is a very skillful interviewer

Comment Please by Univest
Host: Darryl Berger

(incumbent Democrat) Rick Taylor and (Republican) Todd Stephens
Friday, Oct. 17
151st district state house district

1 minute opening, questions, 1 minute closing

RT: Thank you. It’s good to be here as always. Thank listeners. [describes district] Two years ago when I ran for this office I ran because I believed I could make peoples lives better. I’ve been fighting for that. Health care, education, dignity for older citizens. Ambler, fight over asbestos. Willow Grove Naval Air Station. Fight for quality of life to be preserved. My experience in public and private industry has taught me how to work with all kinds of people.

TS: Appreciate opportunity to be here. Been an assistant district attorney in Montgomery County for almost 8 yrs. Opportunity to serve the people of Montco in that capacity and US Attorney’s office in Philadelphia. Being a state rep provides opportunity to serve people in a greater way. Disappointed in state house of rep. Too much time spent bickering. Indictments and continuing investigation. As it relates to the average individual. No one says how great state legislature is. In fact, headlines to the contrary. Lived in Horsham all my life. Time we made some changes. Been fighting for people in the courthouse and would like to move on to state house and fight for people there.

Q: bonusgate. Rick, you are involved in this to some degree. One of the people indicted was your cm for a brief time. Have you answered all the questions on that? You ran as a reformer.

RT: Yes, what has happened as far as Bonusgate goes. If allegations are true it is saddening and disappointing. Let me be clear, there has never been an accusation that I did anything wrong. Two weeks before the election there was a need to replace my campaign manager. We called state party as the campaign manager was not my employee. Said I could go it alone but called them first. I did not know she was on state money until the day indictments announced. While in Harrisburg I have worked to change the problems that have eroded the trust. First issues were legislation being rammed down people’s throats late at night. Lessened power of leadership on rules committee. Increased time for legislators to review legislation. Used to be asked to vote on legislation with no time to read it. Worked on open financing. Need campaign finance reform. Worked with Common Cause. Redistricting reform is another thing. Upper Dublin. 8 years ago there was one representative. Now in 4 different districts in Upper Dublin. Would like a nonpartisan commission. Rep. Samuelson has a nice bill on that. As soon as Bonusgate came out I introduced a bill to ban bonuses. We have to deal with systemic issues.

TS: quite frankly, with all due respect to Rep. Taylor it’s great to talk about redistricting reform but now the time has passed. Can’t happen before 2010 when redistricts. Had 2 years to address it and didn’t. Bonusgate issues. Rep. Taylor hasn’t ever shown on his campaign finance report the in kind donation for Rachel Manzo’s work. He hasn’t amended his report to show he received her work for 2 weeks. There was already a bill banning bonuses sitting in the house, passed in the senate. Sat in committee. But he introduces another bill. This whole notion that the rules were tightened is wrong. The most important bill that comes up is the budget but they suspended the rules on the budget bill. We need to make sure the caucus expenses are put online. I and others have asked about the amount spent on Rep. Taylor’s newsletters. He didn’t start putting his expenses online until Dec. of last year. Nothing in there about newsletters or tv commercials. Need to make sure one committee chair, like chair of State Govt committee chair, can’t derail legislation. We have got to stop allowing our tax dollars to defend against criminal investigations. When legislature said they were in favor of open records but D caucus fought Bonusgate subpoenas they were using tax dollars. Whole lot of lip service but no substantial changes.

RT: As far as the bonus issue goes. The existing bill banning bonuses was on all of state government. Too broad in scope. We were really concerned about people using it for political purposes. So that’s why I introduced the bill to fastrack it. On committee chair bottling legislation, just had a discharge resolution on MCare abatement (helps doctors pay medical liability). On the budget. I voted against suspending the 24 hour deadline. I agree the budget is important but the majority voted to suspend.

Q: Leadership has too much power?

RT: Having a strong leadership is frustrating. They still have a lot of powers. It’s not all bad. The legislative accounts not all bad, sometimes all four caucuses will share costs of something with the governor. I believe in kind services were reported from HDCC. They gave us a statement saying what services were rendered. Both campaign managers were same, an in kind service provided. On the mailings, I think these mailings serve an educational purpose for constituents. For example, announce free breast cancer screenings for low income women. Not excessive. Property tax rebates for seniors. Education people about these services. Has gone to visit constituents even in off years to help them and educate them. I have more constituent service hours than any other rep according to a survey. Televised publis service announcements also serve to educate public. One early PSA on TAP 529 programs. Dual enrollment, get college credits while in high school. Work on making college more affordable.

TS: Still confused. Open records. How much did we spend on newsletters. You don’t’ even know how much you spent?

RT: That comes through the caucus.

TS I don’t disagree that there is important issue information to disseminate to constituents. I worked on Internet crime safety. Developed on my own time and distributed Mouse pads with Internet safety. Got corporate sponsorship. Ricks’ tv ads, 45K spent on 529 programs. If every state legislator spent that kind of money wouldn’t it be smarter if there was one commercial from the treasurer’s office instead of individual ad from each legislator.

Q: RT not the only one doing this.

TS: We need to change these things.

Q: Willow Grove Naval Air Station (Joint Air Reserve Station at Willow Grove)

RT: There are 3 principles I’ve been working with. Base and runway is important. After 9/11 it became apparent that the old way of working needed change. We need to keep it and keep runway. Need for national defense, emergency preparedness. Whatever happens at the base should not diminish quality of life who live in the surrounding communities. Been a strong proponent of working with both sides. Been working with the state and local representatives. Greatest concern being commercial flights. Two pieces of legislation given to locals to mark up until they are comfortable with it. I’ve been working in a very bipartisan fashion. Have worked with different cultures and be an honest mediator. Legislation would block commercial flights and narrow definition of associated user. I’ve spurred the debate and brought Gov. Rendell in to meet with some of the township officials. At the end of the day you cannot diminish quality of life in Horsham.

TS: On Horsham planning commission for years. We need to abate traffic around Horsham. Maybe use some of the land to decrease traffic. When the military said they don’t want it ever other gov’t agency given the option of coming to WG for free. All declined. Gov. came in and said it should be preserved as joint agency installation. I have mixed feelings on whether it is necessary or not. All agencies had previously declined. Gov. has found he can’t possibly afford to maintain base with just gov’t monies. Kimball Report said some private use. RT said he endorsed Kimball Plan, more buildings and hangars. Issue is you will be using commercial air traffic to foot the bill for the base. Congress passed legislation to allow for commercial and cargo air traffic for WG. Keeps trying to wrap this up in national security but ask and pharmaceutical companies keep coming up. I was at the meeting when Burger King was listed as being part of national security. [read from committee minutes]. If you told me this was going to be a gov’t facility with gov’t planes and gov’t pilots for national defense and homeland security, I could support it. I’ve been a neighbor of the naval air base all my life. There’s nothing like watching a fighter taking off. But that’s not what is happening here. Those associated users would access to the runway so they will foot the bill.

RT: What I endorsed was the vision of a homeland security hub with a runway. The associated user is part of the discussion the township and the state need to have. We do need to make sure the township has a say. The governor said the township would have a say. I am trying to work with the township to make sure they have a say. Trying to be an honest broker. I’ve knocked on thousands and thousands of doors. We’ve got to define what associated users are. Taxation issues. Sovereignty of the state should not be given up. Fed legislation said no commercial and cargo flights.

TS: You can’t be a broker you’ve got to take a side. Horsham declared a great place to live. We didn’t get that by letting the state come in and dictate what happens to all these acres. The decisions need to be made in Horsham and Montgomery townships. If we’re going to relocate businesses from Montgomery Township to federal land in Horsham where they won’t pass taxes; that is a concern. Never once has RT talked about land use or local taxes. Just ban non-gov’t flights. None of that has happened. We heard from the state there would be a public meeting back in March. There have been no public meetings. All closed door meetings. Kimball Plan made in closed door meeting. Footing the bill for that facility is wrong. I would fight tooth and nail.

RT: Horsham also part of this Kimball Report. I was supporting the vision. There was legislation we were going to run right before we broke for the budget. A lot of the issues the twp wanted to deal with and they asked me to hold up that legislation. We redrafted the legislation.

TS: When you were asked if you will support this legislation you said you didn’t know and then made a phone call and said you would support it.

RT: At the meeting I said to the twp I said I supported what they were doing in principal but wanted the conversation to continue. You have to have a number of legislators and the governor to pass legislation. I told Horsham I believed in the principal but did not want dialogue to end.

TS: you didn’t go and introduce the legislation. Tom Murt did and you jumped on. How are you going to pay for that runway unless you’re going to use commercial tenants to pay the bill.

RT: We drafted the legislation, sent it to solicitor of Horsham twp, didn’t hear back. It was after Murt’s bill was introduced that we heard back. Rep. Murt and I are communicating but I heard about the bill after it was introduced.

Closing

TS: I certainly appreciate you having me here. I would love to have another debate. We need some new leadership, someone who understands the issues are it relates to WG, traffic issues. I have a 98% conviction record in DA’s office. Deserve and opportunity to go Harrisburg www.toddstephens08.com

RT: In the last 2 years I have worked hard to make a difference in people’s lives. Helping push Bo-Rite on national list. Dual enrollment. Asbestos. Work for those who don’t have a voice. www.taylorforpa.com

Tonight's Television Viewing

Having been to all the political events I can stand for awhile, I stayed in with the family tonight. We're still a little shaken as Mr. J's car was nearly hit by a tree yesterday and felt a need to cocoon.

First up was Barack Obama's infomercial. I thought it was very well done, excellent writing and production. Mr. J's favorite part was the man putting on the Wal-Mart name tag.

Next was the Phillies game. The last time I watched part of a ballgame Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were trying to break a record of some kind. This was, honest, the first time I'd watched the Phillies play. It was a good starting point since they won. Must be because of the William Penn statue put on the top of the Comcast building. Stranger things have happened.

Daily News Endorses Costello

The Philadelphia Daily News has endorsed Democrat Rich Costello for the 172nd state house seat. Excerpt:

The race for the 172nd, between former House Speaker John Perzel and Rich Costello, former head of the Fraternal Order of Police, is not completely unrelated. For one thing, John Perzel is paying for the nasty anti-Boyle ads.

But that's only the latest in Perzel's list of transgressions.

Perzel, who could conceivably become speaker again if the political balance in Harrisburg shifts to Republican, was wrong on the legislative pay raise, wrong on the idea of limiting property-tax relief from casino revenues only to seniors, wrong on his lack of action on common-sense gun laws. He grabbed the Parking Authority for state oversight, but failed to deliver on the revenues promised to the schools from that grab. There are concerns about how he will fair in the Bonusgate probe and investigations surrounding a taxpayer-sponsored computer program possibly used for campaign purposes.

Rich Costello, whom we endorse, is smart and thoughtful. He was a popular police leader, and his experience as a police officer -and one who was shot at twice- should at the very least translate into a new, welcome direction for the conversation about guns that happens in Harrisburg.

Also this week, the Inquirer, published an article on the race this week ("Perzel has high-profile opponent in Costello," by Marcia Gelbart, 10/27). If you click on the link and look at the picture, for some reason John Perzel seems to be standing in front of a bunch of Taubenberger lawn signs. Here is an excerpt:

This time, Perzel faces former Fraternal Order of Police president Rich Costello, perhaps his most formidable opponent ever.

Costello's 34-year police career and vocal leadership for 10 years of Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police gives his campaign instant credibility.

"When a guy has been in Harrisburg for 30 years and forgets where he came from, that makes him dangerous," says the 57-year-old Costello, who believes Perzel is too cozy with lobbyists. "I don't think at the grassroots level he has the support of the rowhouse Republicans he thinks he has."

One More 8th Congressional District Debate

There have been, I think, seven debates in the 8th congressional district race. There is one more tomorrow night, Oct. 29th; the debate is taking place at Central Bucks High School West, 375 W. Court Street, in Doylestown. Doors open at 6:30pm and the debate begins at 7pm.

I've watched four of the debates, three in person and one replayed on PCN, and written on two of them (Shir Ami, PCN broadcast of Bristol Riverside Theater ). If you haven't attended any of the previous debates you should go out to the Oct 29th event. Here's a quick preview:

Tom Lingenfelter (Independent): Get government out of the way.
Tom Manion (Republican): Washington is broken.
Patrick Murphy (incumbent Democrat): Green energy jobs. Fourth largest solar field in the US being built in Bucks County. Increased veterans benefits. Veterans cemetery. Need to bring our troops home. Voted my conscience.

Mr. Lingenfelter has, in my opinion, grown more cantankerous as the debates have done on. At the last one I attended he seemed to have progressed from trying to educate the audience to hectoring them.

Mr. Manion is very low-key and often starts sentences with "Well, ..." The exception is when he got angry at Murphy for talking about naming a post office for a Bucks County resident who died in the war. Manion, who also lost a son in Iraq jabbed his finger at Murphy and shouted "Watch yourself!" two or three times. He also said at every debate I attended that Murphy's work to increase veterans benefits took no effort because, after all, who would oppose that? Actually Sen. McCain voted against increased educational benefits for veterans who served for only a few years because it would discourage people from re-enlisting. Manion also hits Murphy for voting against war funding bills that did not include a timeline for troop redeployment (bringing the troops home).

Murphy does well in these debates, though I may be prejudiced having following his 2006 campaign closely. He discusses his record and emphasizes his bipartisan approach in Congress. He often recognizes community leaders or businessmen in the audience that he knows. He mentions his family. At one event a man wearing a Manion button started kibbitzing; Murphy handled it well.

If you live in the 8th and haven't been to one of the previous debates, please try to attend the one on the 29th.

A Look at Paul Drucker

Another review of the 157th state house seat. Democrat Paul Drucker is running against Republican Guy Ciarrocchi. There is no incument; it is an open seat. Each candidate has a campaign website (http://www.votepauldrucker.com/ and http://www.guyciarrocchi.com/). Each has a negative site as well (http://slipandfallpaul.com and http//www.whatkindofguy.com).

Let's take a look at one of these sites. Ciarrocchi's campaign claims that Drucker has filed a number of lawsuits. "His focus wasn't on helping taxpayers, lowering healthcare costs, creating jobs or improving the quality of life in his community."

I call foul. True, I was able to verify one of the cases mentioned on his site. However, I also found these legal cases that Drucker was involved in. Ciarrocchi did not mention them:

In 1994, Drucker represented a former policeman who shot and killed two young men who stole his car and abducted him. One of the carjackers pulled a gun which jammed. It was then that Drucker's client fired (Nolan, Jim, "Carjack victim 'didn't wait for 2nd click'," Daily News 10/22/1994)

In 1995, Drucker represented a disc jockey who was fired because of his ethnic background. The jury awarded him $68,888.("Disc jockey gets $68,000 in a bias suit in Reading" Inquirer 3/15/1995)

In 1996, Drucker represented the widower and daughter of a teacher who was shot and killed in front of her class. The suit was dismissed. (Martinez, Julia C., "In classroom murder, suit is dismissed," Inquirer 11/23/1996)

In 1999, Drucker represented a man who was supposed to be jailed for 72 hours for contempt of court, and was instead held for 28 days. (Naedele, Walter F., "Suit: man jailed too long at Delaware County prison," Inquirer 09/02/1999)

In 2000, Drucker represented a school district employee who said she was fired after reporting a bid-rigging scheme. (McCrary, Lacy, "A former employees sues Bensalem School District," Inquirer 3/25/2000)

In 2005, Drucker represented a man who house was sold out from under him by someone submitting a fraudulent deed; he was able to have his ownership restored. (Porter, Jill, "Fraud-fighting plan is working here," Daily News 4/22/2005)

These are not the wealthy or powerful. They are regular folks. They were taxpayers and Drucker tried to improve their quality of life.

Wealth Redistribution

A recent theme of the John McCain's campaign has been that Barack Obama intends to institute government redistribution of wealth. This has actually been around for quite some time. As someone who has been the recipient of it more than a few times, I can hardly argue against it now.

I was an olive drab baby. My father, who served in the U.S. Army for over 20 years, was an active duty serviceman when I was born. The only medical expenses for my birth that were not covered by tax dollars were my mother's meals ($3/day for 7 days). At that time fathers were not normally in the delivery room but were encouraged, at least at that hospital, to "share the experience" by donating blood. (Don't scoff, ladies, it was better than nothing.) So Pa used to tell me that I cost him $21 and a pint of blood. Up until my parents' divorce, and for a short time after that, my medical care was covered by the military, and that means the tax payers.

The American tax payers sent me to college, as it was entirely funded by grants and loans. (I wrote about this in 2005). I was extremely conscious of being a public works project and of the shift away from grants to loans and so graduated in three years instead of the usual four. A college education is always a good investment of public money as it is usually repaid many times over in the taxes on higher wages over the person's lifetime.

Anyone who received grants for college or took advantage of the GI Bill or benefited from a government program or business incentive has been the recipient of wealth redistribution. We take tax money from some people and give it to others, with the assumption that in some way that money will come back into the economy.

I'm really confused about this becoming an election issue. And certainly, it would be hypocritical of me to try to turn off the water for those behind me when I drank from the community well.

PA in the WSJ 10/13-10/19

Sorry this is late.

This is a list of articles regarding Pennsylvania in this week's Wall Street Journal. Chances are I missed something, but these are the articles that caught my eye.

It should be noted that I routinely do not read the editorials in the WSJ. So any discussions of the state, its elected officials, businesses, or citizens, in editorials will not be mentioned here.

PA Politicians


PA Businesses

Charles Aulino, directory of financial planning at Glenmede Trust Company is quoted in “Why now is the time to help you heirs,” by Anne Tergesen 10/18

Critical Homecare Solutions of Conshohocken is mentioned in “As home IVs grow, Medicare patients miss out,” by Laura Landro 10/15

Toll Brothers is mentioned in “Jersey City’s boom is set back,” by Dawn Wotapka 10/15

“Sovereign sells itself to Spain’s Santander,” by Robin Sidel 10/14 and “Santander nears Sovereign deal,” by Matthew Karnitschnig, Robin Sidel, and David Enrich 10/13 discuss the sale of the bank based in this area.

Other PA

Scranton is the focus of “Behind a blue-collar cliché,” by Kevin Hellicker, 10/18

Jamie Moyer is the focus of “What’s a geezer worth?” by Matthew Futterman 10/17. This is an important question for me as I’m easing into geezer territory myself.

Carnegie Mellon is mentioned in “Duke expands India offerings as U.S. schools seek foothold,” by Geeta Anand and Brittany Hite 10/16

From “School efforts to stem violence offer a textbook case of limits on speech,” by Dan Slater 10/16

Late last month, a federal judge in Pennsylvania sided with a school district in its decision to bar a student from wearing a T-shirt imprinted with images of guns and phrases such as “Volunteer Homeland Security” and “Terrorist Hunting Permit … No Bag Limit.”

Gettysburg and Valley Force parks are mentioned in “Developers and conservationists battle over national parks,” by Jonathan Karp 10/15

Richard J. Herring, co-director of the Financial Institutions Center at Wharton is quoted in “Devil is in the bailout’s details,” by Deborah Solomon and David Enrich 10/15

This week’s requisite Mark Zandi quote is in “Problems of home prices remain,” by Ruth Simon and Michael Corkery 10/15

“NFL’s Eagles tackle drunken, rowdy fans,” by Mark Yost 10/14

An Historical Note on Guy Ciarrocchi

While most people in the region are fixated on the Phillies, a few of us are engaged in normal activities, like seeing if candidate's names are ever incorrectly spelled in the newspapers.

In researching the 157th state house race, between Democrat Paul Drucker and Republican Guy Ciarrocchi, I ran across a rather odd footnote in Ciarrocchi's past that hasn't, to my knowledge, been mentioned recently.

Here's where I started:

She was asked why she had never been invited to Joe's family's home. Her answer indicated that, indeed, she hadn't and that Joe had always told her he didn't like the home and didn't care for his father.

"When I realized that Guy (Ciarocchi, Joe Waldholtz's closest friend) hadn't been to Joe's home either, it seemed to make sense."

But Joe Waldholtz said Enid had visited and in fact stayed at his father's relatively modest split-level home on Darlington Avenue in Squirrel Hill. (Roddy, Dennis, “Politics, bedfellows Joe Waldholtz says he loves Enid, but will tell the truth,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2/11/1996)

The woman speaking is former Utah Congresswoman Enid Greene Waldholtz. She's talking about her then husband and campaign manager Joe Waldholtz, whose financial irregularities earned him some jail time and ended her congressional career. In addition to mismanaging campaign funds he embezzled from his family. But is Joe's Guy Ciarocchi the same as our Guy Ciarrocchi? Let's see.

Here's a brief history of Joe's political history in Pennsylvania:

He played roles ranging from volunteer to senior staffer in several GOP campaigns in the late 1980s, including those of unsuccessful Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Bill Scranton and now-Sen. Rick Santorum's House race.

Joe rose through the ranks of his native Allegheny County's Young Republicans, once offering a free trip to Washington to whoever registered the most Young Republicans in the suburban congressional district encircling Pittsburgh.

Joe became a senior aide and eventually chief of staff to Republican National Committeewoman Elsie Hillman, a personal confidante to President Bush. The post won Joe periodic visits to the White House -- and a taste for the trappings of national politics.

At 25, Joe held a top position with the Bush-Quayle campaign in 1988. Four years later, he was named executive director of Bush's 1992 Pennsylvania re-election bid, putting him in charge of strategy for a state with the fifth-largest block of electoral votes in the country. (Semerad, Tony, “Waldholtz: He Plays Hardball,” Salt Lake Tribune, 11/14/1995)

Where was Ciarrocchi during those years?

In 1987 he was president of the University of Pennsylvania College Republicans (Walsh, Edward, “Publicity and pressure focus on an uncommitted Sen. Specter,” Washington Post 9/29/1987). In 1988 Ciarrocchi was the national co-chairman of College Republicans and a law student at Villanova University. (Simmons, Rose, “Republicans are succeeding at attracting the young,” Inquirer 11/12/1988). Some time before 1992 he was the head of the Young Republicans of Pennsylvania (Hollman, Laurie, “Barbs, sparks, fur fly in S. Phila race,” Inquirer 10/19/1992). In 1994, he was working for then state senator Melissa Hart of the Pittsburgh area (Hammonds, Donald I., “Controversy rages over tax proposal in state senate,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/07/1994)

Back to Utah. When an warrant was issued for Waldholtz's arrest he disappeared for several days and then resurfaced as the friend, client and houseguest of Jeffery Liebmann, a lawyer living in the Philadelphia area (Harrie, Dan, Semerad, Tony and Maddox, Laurie Sullivan, “Blame Game: Joe May Cut A Deal, Turn Against Enid,” Salt Lake Tribune, 11/23/1995). Ciarrocchi and Liebmann were photographed together in a Wynnewood restaurant listening to Rush Limbaugh (Logan, Joe, “Limbaugh fans get a rush in new bonding experience,” Inquirer 7/14/1993).

So I think there is good reason to believe that Waldholtz's one time bff, Guy Ciarocch,i is the same as the 157th district Republican candidate Guy Ciarrocchi. Of course, the fact that Waldholtz's then estranged wife thought Ciarrocchi was his closest friend does not mean that Ciarrocchi viewed the relationship the same way. Does something this far back in Ciarrocchi's past have any bearing in the election? There are some other questions about Ciarrocchi's ethics, past and present (see whatkindofguy.com for examples). Ciarrocchi's campaign has a similar site about his opponent Paul Drucker (see slipandfallpaul.com). I found the Waldholtz connection while trying to verify and find a context for the claims on both of these sites. For the curious I did verify the information on Ciarrocchi's first house run in the early 1990's against Rep. Donatucci, the Archdiocese and HUD job experience. On the Drucker side, I did find that he was a lawyer on one of the suits the anti-Drucker site discusses but did not get much farther than that. Those who have qualms about Ciarrocchi might see the Waldholtz information as another example of questionable connections or behavior.

If time allows before the election I would like to write more about this race.

Lawsuit on Emergency Ballots

From the inbox:

A coalition of Pennsylvania voters and civil rights groups, led by the NAACP State Conference of Pennsylvania, filed a lawsuit today in federal court in Philadelphia seeking to ensure that voters receive emergency paper ballots on Election Day when 50% or more voting machines become inoperable at any polling site in the state. The lawsuit, filed against Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés, alleges that voters will be disenfranchised when they face the burden of having to wait hours in line, due to voting machine breakdowns, in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

“In Pennsylvania this year,” the complaint states, “an unprecedented interest in voting, a record number of newly registered voters, and a well-established history of widespread electronic voting machine failures have converged to create a perfect storm that, left unaddressed, unquestionably will result in the disenfranchisement of substantial numbers of citizens.”

The lawsuit follows numerous reports during Pennsylvania’s primary election in April of voters facing long lines when electronic voting machines became inoperable at their polling sites. Voters called national election protection hotlines on primary day, including 866-MYVOTE1, reporting that election officials were not providing the safeguard of emergency paper ballots when voting machines malfunctioned. Callers stated that voters were told either to wait in line – sometimes for hours – or to come back later to vote. The reports revealed that many voters left their polling locations without casting their votes.

“Voters should not be forced to wait hours in line in order to exercise their fundamental right to vote,” says John Bonifaz, legal director for Voter Action and co-counsel for the plaintiffs. “While the use of electronic voting machines continues to pose a separate threat to the integrity of the vote-counting process, federal court intervention is necessary to ensure that voters will not be disenfranchised by long lines on Election Day in Pennsylvania, when these machines become inoperable.”

“Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth has issued a directive to all Pennsylvania counties requiring that emergency paper ballots be distributed only when 100% of voting machines malfunction on Election Day,” says Jonathan Abady, a partner at the New York-based law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, and co-counsel for the plaintiffs. “If left unchanged, this standard will place an undue burden on voters across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

In his declaration filed with the lawsuit, J. Whyatt Mondesire, the president of the NAACP State Conference of Pennsylvania, states: “One of the major impediments to members exercising their right to vote is the long lines frequently encountered on election day…Thousands of members have faced serious delays in voting when machines have broken down in the past and this problem will be much more severe this year when unprecedented numbers of voters will be coming to the polls.”

In addition to the NAACP State Conference of Pennsylvania, the plaintiffs include individual voters who reported long lines and voting machine breakdowns during the state’s primary election in April, as well as the Election Reform Network, a local election integrity organization. The plaintiffs are represented by Voter Action, a national voting rights organization, the law firm of Emery Cell Brinckerhoff & Abady, and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia.

Report Voting Problems on Twitter

For twitter users:

With less than 15 days until Election Day, the non-partisan Election Protection coalition is enhancing its outreach efforts through a partnership with the Twitter Vote Report project, Rock the Vote, and other coalition partners. With more than 125 million voters projected for this year, issues at the polls are inevitable. Citizens can help Election Protection as they work with election officials to find ways to fix any problems, on the spot, at the polls, and in doing so ensure that millions of Americans have their votes counted.

Twitter's text-messaging and web capabilities and its vast network of active users allow all voters to become election monitors. Users will send "tweets" indicating problem areas, which will make it possible for Election Protection to identify issues in real time and immediately deploy legal volunteers to polling locations where trouble is brewing when necessary.

"The Election Protection coalition is constantly exploring new ways to engage all Americans in the effort to make sure every vote is counted, and we have a special focus on connecting with the youth who represent a large block of first time voters," said Jonah Goldman, director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "This new initiative with Twitter Vote Report gives us the opportunity to penetrate communications streams that youth and others use in their everyday lives to communicate with friends and stay informed on the news of the day. We are eager to observe the myriad ways in which voters are empowered through the ability to provide real time updates as they vote."

Heather Smith, Executive Director of Rock the Vote said, “We are thrilled to partner with Election Protection and techPresident to give young people the opportunity to share election related questions and problems through Twitter. This program creates a new way to ensure that every young voter will be able to cast a ballot this year.”

Election Protection is partnering with Twitter Vote Report, an effort launched on Personal Democracy Forum's techPresident and energized by a group of volunteer technologists, to encourage citizens to broadcast text messages to Twitter.com that can be then be aggregated and mapped so voting problems around the country can be “seen” in real-time. These reports can then be relayed to the experts at the Election Protection Coalition who will, in turn, relay information to their teams on the ground.

"The goal of Twitter Vote Report is to expand the ways in which Americans participate in the electoral process this Election Day," said Nancy Scola of techPresident.

Allison Fine, of Personal Democracy Forum and a Senior Fellow at Demos, added, "On November 4, citizens will be able to "tweet" their vote using the identifying tag of #votereport to Twitter Vote Report. Our partnership with Election Protection and Rock the Vote will greatly expand the role and ability of citizens to protect the election for themselves and their neighbors." 


From now until November 4, users can access the Election Protection Twitter account at http://twitter.com/866ourvote and tweet with questions and voting problem reports. On Election Day, voters will be able share their experiences and report problems using the #EP + State Abbreviation (i.e. #EPVA for Virginia) and #votereport tags. Election Protection state teams will monitor and confirm tweet-reports, then work to resolve any issues.

Election Protection will also be posting a comprehensive Twitter toolkit on the 866OURVOTE.org website for those who want to tweet us on Election Day. Voters can also access Election Protection's other free resources, the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline and the voting information at 866OURVOTE.org.

Upper Dublin Site Proposed for Superfund

From the inbox:

On September 3rd, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] proposed adding the BoRit Asbestos Site to the Superfund National Priority List [NPL]. The EPA is currently seeking public comment on the proposal.

Located by the Wissahickon Creek at the intersection of Whitpain Township , Upper Dublin Township and Ambler Borough, the BoRit site has been waiting for clean-up for decades. Getting it placed on the NPL is the best way to insure that the surrounding community and future generations will be free from the health and environmental threats the site poses.

“Having the BoRit Asbestos Site recommended to be placed on the National Priority List is a victory for the community and for the hard working individuals who united with the specific intent to protect the safety and well being for generations to come. I am very proud of all that has been accomplished and look forward to continuing the task of protecting and preserving our community,” said Rick Taylor, PA House Representative for District 151, one of the elected leaders involved in working with the EPA on the BoRit site.

Community and environmental groups like Clean Water Action, Citizens for a Better Ambler and the Community Advisory Group have been working alongside local politicians like Rep. Taylor and Rep. Mike Gerber and the EPA to address this long overdue problem.

“This is the largest asbestos waste pile in the United States and it has never been properly dealt with. The site is hazardous to the health and environment of the communities living by it and should have been made a Superfund site long ago,” said Anne Misak, Program Organizer for Clean Water Action and a member of the Community Advisory Group for the BoRit site.

Citizens and organizations in the area are encouraged to submit comments in favor of the site being listed. The comment period is open through November 3rd. To submit a comment, visit http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/pubcom.htm and make sure to include the docket number for this site: EPA-HQ-SFUND-2008-0582.

“Clean Water Action encourages everyone to take a few minutes to post a comment in favor of the BoRit site becoming a national priority for clean up,” said Misak.

Linder Endorsed by Steelworkers

From the inbox:

9th District Democratic State Senate candidate John Linder today accepted the endorsement of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 10-1. USW Local 10-1 represents over 700 workers at the Sunoco Philadelphia refinery, the oldest continuously operating petroleum facility in the world.

Local 10-1 President Jim Savage released a statement in support of Linder’s candidacy.

"Working families in Pennsylvania deserve a government that serves their needs, not the same old partisan gridlock," Savage said. "While health care costs continue to spiral out of control and squeeze working family budgets, Senator Pileggi seems to take pride in being an obstructionist. The people of the 9th District deserve results, not partisan games. That is why USW Local 10-1 overwhelmingly endorses John Linder for State Senate."

Linder accepted the endorsement and spoke of the growing support for his candidacy.

"I graciously accept the endorsement of United Steelworkers Local 10-1," Linder said. "The hardworking people of Chester and Delaware Counties understand that I am the candidate who will best represent their interests in the State Senate. I will fight to enact meaningful health care reform, reduce energy costs, and adequately fund our schools.

"My campaign’s momentum is growing by the day. With only eleven days left until the election, I am confident that we have a real chance to win. My campaign will continue working hard until the votes are counted. We can win this race."

Police Report on Sign Theft in the 13th

You have to read this. Really. John McDermott, third party candidate in the 13th congressional district, called the police because someone in the campaign office of the Republican candidate was taking his campaign signs. You can read the police report here on his website.

Seriously, it will give give you a real appreciation for campaign comedy.

KPOJ Podcast

Someone wrote and asked me if my appearance on Portland's KPOJ Thom Hartmann show. Honest, someone did. The podcast is available, at least for now. I am on the 10-22 show, the 7-8 segment, at about the :45 minute mark.

Harper and Custer on "Comment Please"

Earlier this month Kate Harper and Frank Custer were on "Comment Please" by Univest, a talk show on wnpv1440. Host Darryl Berger does a fantastic job of talking with candidates. Not all of his comments are represented here as he is very skillful at guiding the conversation in an understated way.

At present the debate is available on the Comment Please website. This blog post is not intended as a full transcript but notes typed while listening; interested parties are encouraged to listen for themselves or to contact the campaigns for clarification of the candidates' positions on the issues.

Comment Please by Univest.
Host: Darryl Berger
Taped Oct 2nd.

Incumbent Republican Kate Harper / Democrat Frank Custer
61st state house district

Good afternoon and welcome, Oct 2nd. 1 minute open and closing statement.

KH: Happy to be here. In the few years I’ve been in Harrisburg I’m most proud of my work on the environment. Growing Greener II, working with people on both sides of aisle to come up with energy program for PA. Require power companies to buy alternative energy. Recently increased the amount of this. Combining it with economic development money, attracted a windmill manufacturer to PA. Creating clean energy industries and creating jobs.

FC: Happy to be here. Excited to be running in this race. This race is vitally important to PA. The Democrats have a one vote margin in the house. In my view we need to increase that on the D side. Long career in politics in private and public, state and federal levels, served as Congressman Hoeffel’s press secretary, now have a consulting firm. Looks forward to putting experience to work in Harrisburg.

Q: economic bailout, a federal issues, but people worried about the economy. What should be happening in Harrisburg to brace the state.

KH: PA doesn’t have as many mortgage foreclosures as other states. Passed a bill on mortgage foreclosures. PA budget depending on state’s economy. PA must have a balanced budget by June 30 each year. Beginning to tighten budget and watching projections on a monthly basis. We won’t know until April next year. Next year may be very difficult year, may need to cut existing programs.

FC: We all know what the problems are at the federal level with subprime mortgages and things like that. What we’ve watched over the past couple of weeks is lack of leadership on both sides of the aisle. People are not stepping up the plate in DC. Colossal lack of leadership. When PA faces shortfalls next year I hope people in H’burg and I hope I’m one of them exhibit leadership lacking in DC. Current leadership in H’burg not up to the task. There are going to have to be cuts or re-prioritizing.

Q: tax reform. Every time the legislature tries to do something it doesn’t work. Act 1 rejected across the state.

KH: That was actually Act 50, Act 1 is in effect across the state. You’re right that the school districts don’t like it. It has had a very beneficial effect in some school districts where school board can turn to teachers and say if we raise your salaries that much we’ll have to ask for a increase on the ballot. One of the difficulties in PA is that in some areas property taxes are paying a lot of the school’s costs. If we abolished the property tax in some areas it would mean individuals would have to make up the difference. Maybe what we need is a way to benefit seniors and some others that can’t pay. In addition this year some taxpayers saw the effects of the Homestead Act. In affluent districts people pay 90% of education costs and not much from the state.

FC: I think the state has to begin to pay more and more of its fair share for education. Over time it has eroded it is supposed to be up around 50% and it has fallen. Over the course of several years if we can get that back up to around 50% that will help a lot. We need to make sure that revenue from casinos and gambling goes to education.

Q if you could vote to expand the types of gambling to table games in order to provide more prop tax relief would you do it?

FC: Probably would. Not a big fan of gambling but if people are going to gamble would rather they didn’t go to NJ or NY.

KH: would not at this time support an expansion of gambling. It has not lived up to expectations but not all casinos are open yet. Average resident will lose $200 in gambling this year. Since I don’t gamble someone else is losing more.

FC: It hasn’t lived up to expectations because two casinos have not opened up in Philly. I have the same reservations that Kate does.

Q: Back end referendum has some meaning

KH: The reasons areas have not had an opportunity to vote because school districts have made an effort to stay in budget. The school board does not want to go out to the voters. Two third of districts budget set because it is salaries. If they grant higher contracts they will need to go to referendum.

Q: would you vote to repeal teachers right to strike

KH: I would. Teachers like firefighters and police officers should not be able to strike. Would vote for binding arbitration.

FC: I think they should be able to strike. I grew up in a union household. The right to strike is one of the basic premises to collective bargaining. I would not vote to remove that form the teachers.

Q: Frank, questioning incumbent’s commitment to job because she represents municipalities as a solicitor

FC: Issue not outside income or another job. The issue is when given a choice between being in H’burg doing her duties and having the responsibility of being a solicitor for a local twp or borough she had opted to be at home as a solicitor. I believe that if you are elected by the people it should be your primary responsibility. You should be in H’burg to vote. People do miss votes, doctor’s appointments, weddings, deaths, etc. Outside income is another thing. I am a writer of sorts. If I write an article on a weekend or an attorney does that in his own time. But Kate has missed votes to come back and act as a solicitor. PA is considered a full time legislature.

KH: As of Sept. 1, I have a 98% attendance record. I’m deeply committed to the job. There have been a few occasions when I’ve missed late night votes, almost all were unanimous, almost all of them I voted for in committee. Most people don’t have a 98% attendance record in their job. No one works harder than I do for the 61st district. I’m at boy scout ceremonies, firefighters dinners, etc.

FC: You are at all those things but when is the conflict between your two masters you don’t chose H’burg. If those votes are unanimous, they certainly were important for 200 of her colleagues to be there.

KH: municipal meetings at night so usually doesn’t conflict. D’s in charge of House and calendar. Occasionally there are unpredictable votes on Monday night and if I know then I can get another lawyer to be at the municipal meeting for me. I selected municipal work because it wouldn’t conflict with the House calendar. Generally not a conflict. If I were late or had to send a substitute it’s okay.

Q: did you miss the payraise vote

KH: no I didn’t.

FC: So you don’t want votes after 5 p.m.?

KH: I didn’t say that.

FC: When this article was in the paper and Rep. Harper responded. She said she needed to have the second job so she could have the integrity to stand up to her leadership in H’burg.

KH: if you’re going to quote me quote me directly. The ability to earn an outside job is a good thing. I don’t ever want to be in a situation where I am so desperate for a job that I’ll vote for something to keep my job. I can make it in the private sector and support my family. It is important to the integrity of the public sector for people to know they can support themselves outside of office. John Adams told his son make sure you are never dependent on the public job.

Q: votes late at night, early in the morning. This cloud called Bonusgate. Indictments directed at Ds in the House. Attorney Gen said no other indictments before the election

FC: When I heard about Bonusgate I was sickened. It was abominable. I also said I would not vote to reelect current D leadership. There are many things that could be changed in H’burg. One thing that is tremendously needed is a campaign finance law. The idea that anyone can donate anything to anyone is ridiculous. Bipartisan commission needed to redraw districts every 10 years. I am against term limits. That came up in a forum last Saturday. I’m against them more at federal level than state level. Need for institutional knowledge. You can have term limits – they are called elections.

KH: I think one of the easiest things that could be done fairly simply. Campaign manager for Rick Tayler paid for by tax dollars. Easiest thing done could be sunshine on leadership accounts. Some of my colleagues said “I didn’t know how they were paying that guy.” Nobody knew that because leadership accounts are not accountable. That is a fairly easy fix. Two very dangerous times -- sine die, the days after the election when legislators are lame ducks, late at night when people are tired and just want to get things done. We stopped that – bills have to be amended on second considerations and 24 hour delay before voting. That rule is good. We don’t meet past 11 p.m. and that is good. Truth is you have to have committee meetings before the legislature starts. Those rules are good reforms. Nervous about constitutional convention. Afraid of a runaway. If it is not strictly limited. Constitution is deliberately difficult to amend. Let’s talk about the size of the legislature. We do have one of the larger legislatures but we also have one of the largest populations. Montco is fortunate in that we have fine reps on both sides of the aisle but another rep’s district covers 3 counties. Going door to door is very difficult . dilutes the voice of rural people. Let’s go for making transparent how things happen and how money is spent.

FC: would not be for a constitutional convention. We can fix what’s wrong without changing constitution. There was talk of a special session on ethics. Kate was against that. She brought up the Rick Tayler situation. In the last couple of weeks of the campaign if you get a new campaign manager. If she comes from the state you assume she is being paid by party and not state money. It has only been D’s indicted so far because the Attorney General is a Republican. It is assumed that next group will be Republicans. To the point of a smaller legislature. If you go to a smaller legislature you will need more staff and more resources to serve those 120,000 people or whatever.

KH: Frank’s making my argument. If leadership accounts were public this wouldn’t have happened. Leadership won’t agree.

FC: That’s why we need new leadership. There are people who want reform, Josh Shapiro is one of them.

KH: we haven’t talked about the things important to the people of the 61st, like traffic and the environment.

Closing

FC: Thank you for having us today. There are important issues today. Health care is one of them. When I knock on doors health care comes up again and again. I was walking in Whitpain township in an area where houses must be worth over 300,000 a woman told me her health care cost more than their mortgage. Met a couple expecting a baby who haven’t seen a doctor because they don’t have insurance. The constituents of the 61st will always know how I stand. www.votecuster.org

KH: You just threw me a curve ball by saying I waffle. If there is anything I am known for it is speaking my mind. Redesigned roads so it wouldn’t interfere with people. On Rte 202 worked with people directly. Longstanding supporter of environmental issues. I think I’ve been an effective legislature. Don’t have a campaign website, legislative. www.kateharper.net.

Local Politicos on CN8

This Sunday evening, CN8, The Comcast Network will broadcast two programs on behind-the-scenes campaign issues; they will also be available via Comcast On Demand. Both have local politicos on.

At 9:30 Larry Kane will look at the presidential race. State Rep. Josh Shapiro and Inquirer columnist Dick Polman are among his scheduled guests.

At 10:00 p.m. Robert Traynham's "Roll Call" will discuss the role of woman in the campaign. His guests will include Pennsylvania State Treasurer Robin Weissmann and Renee Amoore, vice chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.

Tim Briggs in Main Line Life

Main Line Life ran a nice article ("Briggs thinks he's ready after working behind the scenes," by Cheryl Allison) on Tim Briggs, Democratic candidate for the open 149th state house seat. The site does not have permalinks (or at least as far as I can tell) but the article is reproduced on Briggs's campaign website. Here is an excerpt:

"When people talk about education in Lower Merion," for example, "it's more about the services, the special education needs, redistricting," he said. However, he said he backs Gov. Ed Rendell's program to infuse more state funding, and said that finding a way to get all districts to minimum funding levels "is a mission for the commonwealth."

The "rising cost of health care, gas prices, infrastructure improvements, political reform" all are concerns he is hearing from voters. And, as the country seemed mired in an economic crisis in recent weeks, that, certainly, has been their first topic, Briggs said.

"The last couple of weeks have really shown me why I want to go to Harrisburg and fight for working families and the future," he said. By "rescuing" banks and other financial institutions, "We're saddling generations to come with a huge burden. We need to deal with the situation, but not leave out Main Street." The way to do that, he said, is "to build jobs, invest in our infrastructure, build a green economy, and not just turtle up and wait till the next crisis."

Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia Event

From the inbox:

On Saturday, October 25, 2008 Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia (CSFP) will hold a benefit, hosted by Urban Outfitters. The Urban design team is creating an indoor carnival filled with incredible visual treats which will include mechanical bull(s), skeet ball, caricaturists and a host of other carnival activities. Philly celebrity chefs will provide the food. Text-to pledge, a novel fund raising activity technique will take the place of an auction. Dick Hayne (President of Urban Outfitters) and Mike O’Neill (CEO of Preferred Properties) will lead this segment of the evening’s activities.

Helping to reach the one million dollar mark are CSFP’s lead corporate sponsors: Wawa, PNC, Urban Outfitters, AmerisourceBergen, Verizon Wireless, Mass Marketing Insurance Group and Cigna. “We began this program nine years ago using simple and unchanging principles – hope, opportunity and success” said CSFP President Evie McNiff. “We believed then as we do now that when families are given hope in the form of educational opportunity, they can achieve success,” she added. A recent program evaluation demonstrates the long-term benefit of early scholarship support for these disadvantaged children.

In the first class of CSFP alumni, 95 % graduated high school on-time and 90% are enrolled in college this fall. CSFP is a simple and direct program that works and works today.

WHEN: Saturday, October 25th, 7 PM to Midnight

WHERE: Urban Outfitters / Navy Yard Headquarters / 5000 South Broad Street, Building #543 / Philadelphia, PA

Central Pennsylvania Political Site

For readers from the center of the state:

WPSU-TV, the PBS affiliate for Central Pennsylvania has developed a non-partisan website for congressional, state senate, and state house candidates in their listening area, over 80 candidates from 27 counties. It is non-partisan and features video, audio, and interactive activities. It features over 80 candidate profiles from 27 counties. Take a look at http://www.wpsu.org/vote08.

Linder Campaign Ad

John Linder, candidate in the 9th state senate district, has a new campaign ad. You can view it on his website, www.linder08.com.